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Aerial view of sister Razumny, March 1944 | |
History | |
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Soviet Union | |
Name | Gordy (Гордый (Proud)) |
Ordered | 2nd Five-Year Plan |
Builder | Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov), Leningrad |
Laid down | 25 June 1936 |
Launched | 10 June 1937 |
Completed | 23 December 1938 |
Fate | Sunk by mines, 14 November 1941 |
General characteristics (Gnevny as completed, 1938) | |
Class and type | Gnevny-class destroyer |
Displacement | 1,612 t (1,587 long tons) (standard) |
Length | 112.8 m (370 ft 1 in) (o/a) |
Beam | 10.2 m (33 ft 6 in) |
Draft | 4.8 m (15 ft 9 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion | 2 shafts; 2 geared steam turbines |
Speed | 38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph) |
Range | 2,720 nmi (5,040 km; 3,130 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
Complement | 197 (236 wartime) |
Sensors and processing systems | Mars hydrophone |
Armament |
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Gordy (Russian : Гордый, lit. 'Proud') was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers (officially known as Project 7) built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet. The ship was covering a minelaying operation after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa) in June 1941 when she entered a German minefield. One of her sister ships had her bow blown off and Gordy rescued the survivors. The ship provided naval gunfire support for Soviet ground forces over the next several months, although she was badly damaged by a mine during the evacuation of Tallinn, Estonia, in August. After repairs, Gordy was assigned to evacuate Soviet troops from their enclave in Hanko, Finland, in November, but struck several mines en route and sank with heavy loss of life.
Having decided to build the large and expensive 40- knot (74 km/h; 46 mph) Leningrad-class destroyer leaders, the Soviet Navy sought Italian assistance in designing smaller and cheaper destroyers. They licensed the plans for the Folgore class and, in modifying it for their purposes, overloaded a design that was already somewhat marginally stable. [1]
The Gnevnys had an overall length of 112.8 meters (370 ft 1 in), a beam of 10.2 meters (33 ft 6 in), and a draft of 4.8 meters (15 ft 9 in) at deep load. The ships were significantly overweight, almost 200 metric tons (197 long tons ) heavier than designed, displacing 1,612 metric tons (1,587 long tons) at standard load and 2,039 metric tons (2,007 long tons) at deep load. Their crew numbered 197 officers and sailors in peacetime and 236 in wartime. [2] The ships had a pair of geared steam turbines, each driving one propeller, rated to produce 48,000 shaft horsepower (36,000 kW ) using steam from three water-tube boilers which was intended to give them a maximum speed of 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph). [3] The designers had been conservative in rating the turbines and many, but not all, of the ships handily exceeded their designed speed during their sea trials. Others fell considerably short of it, although specific figures for most individual ships have not survived. Variations in fuel oil capacity meant that the range of the Gnevnys varied between 1,670 to 3,145 nautical miles (3,093 to 5,825 km; 1,922 to 3,619 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). [4]
As built, the Gnevny-class ships mounted four 130-millimeter (5.1 in) B-13 guns in two pairs of superfiring single mounts fore and aft of the superstructure. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by a pair of 76.2-millimeter (3 in) 34-K AA guns in single mounts and a pair of 45-millimeter (1.8 in) 21-K AA guns [5] as well as two 12.7-millimeter (0.50 in) DK or DShK machine guns. They carried six 533 mm (21.0 in) torpedo tubes in two rotating triple mounts; each tube was provided with a reload. The ships could also carry a maximum of either 60 or 95 mines and 25 depth charges. They were fitted with a set of Mars hydrophones for anti-submarine work, although they were useless at speeds over 3 knots (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph). [6] The ships were equipped with two K-1 paravanes intended to destroy mines and a pair of depth-charge throwers. [7]
Built in Leningrad's Shipyard No. 190 (Zhdanov) as yard number 514, Gordy was laid down on 25 June 1936 and launched on 10 June 1937. Completed on 23 December 1938, [8] the ship was assigned to the Baltic Fleet. She served on patrol and escort duty during the Winter War. [9] On 23 June 1941, a day after Operation Barbarossa began, Gordy, under the command of Kapitan 3-go ranga (Captain 3rd Rank) Yevgeny Yefet, was tasked with covering minelaying operations at the mouth of the Gulf of Finland together with the rest of the 1st Division of the Baltic Fleet's Light Forces Detachment – the light cruiser Maxim Gorky and her sisters Gnevny and Steregushchy. They ran into a German minefield 16 to 18 nautical miles (30 to 33 km; 18 to 21 mi) northwest of Tahkuna Lighthouse; Gordy was slightly damaged by a mine that detonated when it was struck by one of her paravanes, but Gnevny had her bow blown off when she struck another one. Gordy took off Gnevny's crew after submarine periscopes were reported spotted and unsuccessfully attempted to sink her with gunfire. [10] Later that day, she was lightly damaged when her paravanes triggered the explosion of two mines. The destroyer subsequently fought in the defense of Moonsund and Tallinn, Estonia, as German ground forces advanced northward, [9] as well as laying mines herself. [11]
She participated in an unsuccessful attack on a group of German landing craft off the mouth of the Daugava River on 13 July. [12] Together with the light cruiser Kirov, the destroyer leaders Leningrad and Minsk, and several other destroyers, Gordy fired 253 shells to support the defenders of Tallinn, between 24 and 26 August. While covering the evacuation of Tallinn on 28 August as part of the detachment of main forces led by Kirov, a mine exploded in one of the ship's paravanes. The detonation caused severe damage to her hull and flooded all three of her boiler rooms with 420 t (410 long tons) of water. Her captain ordered 45 specialists to remain aboard ship and had the rest of the crew taken aboard the minesweeper Gak. She was towed to Kronstadt by the destroyer Svirepy, [13] a process that took two days as it was necessary to anchor at night. The two destroyers were subjected to constant German air attacks, and Gordy expended all of her anti-aircraft ammunition but escaped unscathed. [11]
At Kronstadt she was placed in a dry dock for repairs. [14] Gordy received splinter damage during an air raid on Kronstadt on 21 September. Nine days later, the ship was transferred to Leningrad's Baltic Shipyard to finish her repairs, which were completed on 8 October. She was positioned off Ust-Izhora on 14 October to provide naval gunfire support for Soviet troops. Gordy bombarded German positions in support of a local counter-attack near Sinyavino between 20 and 25 October. [11] During 1941 the ship fired a total of 349 shells from her 130 mm guns. [15]
On 13 November she departed Gogland Island for Hanko as part of the fourth convoy to evacuate Soviet troops alongside the destroyer Surovy and the minelayer Ural . The ships ran into a minefield and Surovy was blown up, after which Gordy took the lead position in the convoy. [11] The following morning a mine detonated in one of her paravanes without damage. Ten minutes later another struck the hull at 03:30 between the aft boiler room and the forward engine room and knocked out her power, killing all personnel in both rooms. The ship listed at 30° which decreased to 10° with counter-flooding. Although the ship remained afloat due to her bulkheads, Yefet decided to abandon ship. While drifting, Gordy's stern struck another mine which caused her to sink suddenly at 59°47′N25°09′E / 59.783°N 25.150°E . The other ships in the convoy rescued 76 survivors and an additional dozen were able to sail to Gogland in one of her boats; [15] [16] among those lost was Yefet, her only wartime captain. [11] She was officially struck from the Navy List on 19 November. [9]
Storozhevoy was the lead ship of her class of 18 destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Storozhevoy was completed in 1940 to the modified Project 7U design.
Gremyashchy was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1939, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and was later transferred to the Northern Fleet in 1941.
Minsk was one of six Leningrad-class destroyer leaders built for the Soviet Navy during the 1930s, one of the three Project 38 variants. Completed in 1939, the ship was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the Winter War against Finland in 1939–1940. After the start of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Minsk covered minelaying operations and provided naval gunfire support to Soviet units. She escorted ships during the Soviet evacuation of Tallinn, Estonia, in late August. The ship was sunk by German dive bombers on 23 September, although her wreck was salvaged in 1942 and repaired. Minsk was recommissioned in 1943 but the repairs were not completed until the following year. The ship was reclassified as a training ship in 1951, then became a target ship in 1958 and was sunk that year.
Gnevny was the lead ship of her class of 29 destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the 1939–1940 Winter War when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. A few days after the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the ship struck a German mine and was badly damaged. After taking off the survivors, the Soviets failed to sink Gnevny with gunfire before they withdrew and the abandoned wreck drifted until she was sunk by German bombers three days later.
Grozyashchy was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1939, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the Winter War of 1939–1940 against the Finns. After the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Grozyashchy participated in the Gulf of Riga Campaign and laid minefields in the Gulf of Finland. She was badly damaged by a mine in July and was under repair for over a month. The ship was crippled by German bombs in late September and did not become operational for almost a year. Grozyashchy provided naval gunfire support in 1944 for the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive.
Steregushchy was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1939, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet. The ship played a minor role in the Winter War of 1939–1940 against the Finns. After the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Steregushchy participated in the Gulf of Riga Campaign. The ship briefly provided naval gunfire support during the Siege of Leningrad before she was sunk by German dive bombers on 21 September. Her wreck was refloated in 1944, although the repairs were not completed until 1948. Steregushchy was broken up for scrap in 1959.
Stremitelny was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyer built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, the ship was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the 1939–1940 Winter War against Finland. Stremitelny was transferred to the Northern Fleet in mid-1940. After the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, she covered an amphibious landing along the Arctic coast. The ship was attacked and sunk by German dive bombers the following month in Polyarny with the loss of 111 crew and passengers. Her wreck was partially salvaged the following year.
Smetlivy was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1938, she was assigned to the Baltic Fleet and played a minor role in the 1939–1940 Winter War against Finland. After the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the ship participated in the Gulf of Riga Campaign before withdrawing to Tallinn, Estonia. Smetlivy supported Soviet forces during the defense of Tallinn in August and covered the subsequent evacuation to Leningrad. The ship provided naval gunfire support to the defenders of Leningrad over the next several months before she was assigned to evacuate Soviet troops from their enclave in Hanko, Finland, in November. Smetlivy struck several mines returning from Hanko and sank with heavy loss of life.
Bystry was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1939, she was assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. When the German invasion of the Soviet Union began in June 1941, the ship was under repair. Bystry struck a mine and sank in July. Her wreck was raised, but was too badly damaged for immediate repairs. She was later sunk by German bombs and her wreck had the bow salvaged to repair one of her sisters.
Rastoropny was one of 29 Gnevny-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Completed in 1940, she was assigned to the Pacific Fleet.
Serdity was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Serdity was completed in 1940 to the modified Project 7U design.
Smely was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Smely was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.
Skory was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Skory was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.
Stoyky was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyer built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Stoyky was completed in 1940 to the modified Project 7U design.
Strashny was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Strashny was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.
Silny was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Silny was completed in 1940 to the modified Project 7U design.
Svirepy was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Svirepy was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.
Statny was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Statny was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.
Surovy was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Surovy was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.
Slavny was one of 18 Storozhevoy-class destroyers built for the Soviet Navy during the late 1930s. Although she began construction as a Project 7 Gnevny-class destroyer, Slavny was completed in 1941 to the modified Project 7U design.